[Concert Review: Say Anything]

Say Anything is currently my number 4 most played artist on last.fm and I think that is a pretty accurate representation of how much I like them. (Top 3 played artists are Incubus, Bond, and Coldplay.) I had seen them once before in concert at the House of Blues back during spring of freshman year of college [April 2008] and it was my favorite concert to date [even better than Incubus!!!], but it has since then been surpassed. By this more recent Say Anything concert!

I saw Say Anything for the second time on Thursday, November 12 at The Social Orlando. I had heard about this venue many times before from fellow concert enthusiast friends, but I had never actually had a reason to go there as they mainly cater to small, up-and-coming indie bands. But Say Anything booked two nights there and sold them out way in advance and I was lucky enough to be able to attend with my concert-buddy Robert [who was also with me when I saw them back in freshman year and who introduced me to them!]

I will forever and always love the House of Blues. I have seen EIGHT shows at the House of Blues [Paramore was number 8] and every single one was made more enjoyable because it was in that venue. However, I think that The Social Orlando may just win as better place to see a concert because it is SO SMALL. Lost? Don't be. There is no back stage. There are no curtains blocking the stage off. There are no ropes keeping people back a set distance from the stage, so people at the very front of the pit [like my ever-present concert buddy Robert and I!] can literally reach out and touch/get touched by the performers on stage. Its amazing. Add a excellent act like Say Anything and its the right formula for the perfect concert!

There were two opening bands before Say Anything. I didn't catch the name of the first one and they were passable, though their rhythm guitarist had some insane dreads. The second band was Eisley. I had never really heard of them before, but they were pretty neat. I'll definitely be looking into more of their stuff. Fun trivia fact: Max Bemis [lead singer of Say Anything] and Sherri DuPree [of Eisley] are married!

Anyway. This concert officially became my favorite concert. The set list [which I was actually close enough to the stage to actually read!] was perfect, starting out with their ever-popular-but-nowhere-near-their-best-music "Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too" and covering a good mix from their various albums. Their live performance of their songs "Admit It" and "Walk Through Hell" are truly a must-see for any fan - or any music lover for that matter. I definitely plan on seeing them again in the future and I only hope I have as awesome a spot as this time at the Social.